Many thanks to Lauren at
EveryLastDetailBlog for this super helpful post! I am re-posting below because it's truly fantastic advice & what every bride should know! Follow the link below for the original post and to find MANY more great posts.
Working With Your Wedding Vendors
"Part of the objective of {ELD} is to educate brides throughout the wedding planning process. So, I thought that sharing some tips about working with wedding vendors would be beneficial to both brides and vendors. No, these aren’t bad things or industry secrets. These tidbits are just things to consider when working with your wedding vendors. - Go to your meetings prepared. Bring photos, swatches, contracts- whatever you desire really. Have a couple of questions. If you don’t have any clue about what to expect for the meeting, it doesn’t hurt to ask beforehand. If you’re going to an initial consultation, have an idea in your head of what you want your wedding to be like. If you’re at a complete loss, try the {ELD} Style Dictionary for some help. If that’s the case, tell the vendor outright that you haven’t decided on what kind of wedding you want.
- Going along with the previous statement, TALK to your vendors. They can’t read your mind and know what you want. If you don’t have anything specific that you want, tell them so they can give you ideas and suggestions.
-Don’t be afraid to ask your vendors for other referrals. Good vendors working with each other results in a good experience for ALL!
- Your wedding vendors work weekends, of course, as most weddings are on weekends. However, just because they are “working” does not mean that they are sitting at their desks all weekend. They’re out, on location, at weddings, working. Please don’t be worried or mad if an email you send on the weekend or at the end of the week isn’t returned immediately. I know they’re all super awesome at returning emails during the week, but come Thursday or Friday, things can turn into a madhouse preparing for weddings. Please have patience with your vendors if you send emails during “peak days”, and give them time to get back to the office and respond.
- Running late for a meeting or did life just get in the way? Call the vendor and let them know! Wedding vendors don’t have the most normal schedules, and although most of the time they’re very accommodating, more times than not they also have lots of other things on their plate.
- Something else to remember: your wedding vendors’ respective profession is their career and job. They don’t do it “on the side” or as a “hobby”. Meaning it’s their livelihood and how they put food in their family’s mouth, just like your job. Yes, they love what they do and it’s a fun, rewarding job, but they also have to make money. Their prices are what they are because it’s what they live off of.
- Some vendors you have that may be working with family members on the day of your wedding (coordinator, planner, photographer, videographer, DJ) won’t know what their names are unless you specifically tell them. Give them specific names for your bridal party and any family involved. For photos, have a family member act as the “round up person” to get needed family members efficiently.
- And of course- sorry to sound like a broken record- everything is better and easier when you have a wedding planner/coordinator. It’s pretty much unanimously agreed upon by all wedding vendors. 
I just wanted to share these tidbits to help when working with your wedding vendors. Hopefully it will help you all have great experiences with your vendors! And any vendors or brides, feel free to share your tips in the comments as well!" -- Lauren, everylastdetailblog.com
